Question: Why are no prostitutes arrested during the course of the investigation? Mulder, Scully, and everyone else investigating the case know what they do. This episode takes place in Minnesota, and prostitution is only legal in Nevada, so how can they talk to one (a friend of a victim, who was also a prostitute) and simply let her go?
Azalea
28th Sep 2024
The X-Files (1993)
25th Sep 2024
The X-Files (1993)
Born Again - S1-E22
Question: At first, Dr. Braun suspected that Michelle was being abused because she kept tearing the toy dolls apart. Can someone explain why this is a sign of possible abuse?
10th Sep 2024
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Question: Has it ever been explained why the girls' mother left? It seemed to be one of the reasons for Kat's surly attitude, considering how angry she was when Bianca wore their mother's necklace.
Answer: Although it was never addressed in the theatrical release of the film, an earlier script had the mother writing the erotica novel, and she ran off with her publisher.
27th Aug 2024
Married... with Children (1987)
Question: At the party, one of the "dumb" guests says that he teaches at a school in Los Angeles. Why is he apparently "dumb"?
Answer: At the time, American public schools, especially those in large cities, were under fire for underperforming, especially compared to those in Japan. It was just a dig on the public's perceived views on education and teachers at the time.
30th Jul 2024
Cruel Intentions (1999)
Question: Kathryn wants Sebastian's car if she wins their bet. Considering the upper-class lifestyle of their family, why has she not gotten a car already if she wants one? Sebastian was able to get one, presumably by asking his father and/or Kathryn's mother. Do you think Kathryn never really cared about getting his car, and if so, why make the bet?
Answer: Because the car was important to Sebastian, and she wanted to show him who was boss by taking it off him.
19th Jul 2024
What Lies Beneath (2000)
Question: If Norman married Claire when she was "touring with a baby" (Caitlin), why is he not referred to as Caitlin's stepfather? When they take her to college, Claire refers to him as "Norman" when speaking to her. I've seen the movie a few times and always thought this was a little odd. Many people would even think of a stepfather as "father" if he was the one who raised them for most of their life.
Answer: There's no rule about how a step-father is referred to. Caitlin may simply not consider him a father figure to remain close to her real dad. Many step-children call their step-parent by their first name, regardless of how long the parents have been married. Most likely this is a plot device so that the audience isn't confused about or doesn't forget that Norman is not Caitlin's real father. Some may be offended by a father killing his biological child's mother. It makes Norman less attached to either Claire or Caitlin.
I am not trying to be rude, but have you seen this movie? You say that Caitlin might be close to her real dad. He is dead. Claire was "touring with a baby" after he died, and then she met Norman. Hence why I found the situation a bit odd. Norman has been in Caitlin's life since she was a "baby."
I saw the movie some years ago and don't remember every small detail. However, my main point was that calling Norman by his first name was a plot device to keep the audience focused on him not being Caitlin's biological father. This kept his character more detached from Claire and Caitlin, and made him less sympathetic. It showed an emotional/personal divide existed between Norman and Claire and her daughter. He has less resistance in killing Claire if they did not share a biological child.
17th Jul 2024
General questions
I remember a movie scene in which a teenager/early-twenties woman is in a car with a "bad boy" type of guy. She reaches for her purse and he asks what she is doing, in a "no sudden moves" tone (that a kidnapper would use). She says "I was going to offer you some gum." I saw this in the early 2000s, so it's at least that old. I thought it was "Freeway" (1997, with Reese Witherspoon), but I just watched that and it's not. Thank you for any guesses.
6th Jul 2024
Freeway (1996)
4th Jul 2024
South Park (1997)
Question: When Stan first tries to return the drink machine, an employee explains that the store just takes an initial payment, then remaining payments are handled by a separate finance company. How does the store even make a profit if they only get the initial payment? I know this is a TV show, but it sounds like the banks who let people mortgage homes for small down payments in the late 2000s, then sold the debt to other companies.
Answer: The store sells the debt (at a discount) to the finance company, which then has the right to collect the balance due. This frees the store from the administrative burden of tracking payments and transfers the risk of non-payment to the finance company. This scheme usually works best when there is a huge markup on the product.
9th Jun 2024
General questions
Is there a general reason why American actors are chosen for starring roles as British characters, or vice versa? I've read about Renée Zellweger working at a British publishing firm to prepare for the Bridget Jones movie. Andrew Lincoln played a Southern US man on "The Walking Dead" for several years. Natalie Portman hired a coach to help her prepare for playing Anne Boleyn. With all due respect to them, would it not be easier to simply use an actual British or American actor?
Answer: Why "easier"? If an actor can do the right accent and is the best fit for the role, there's no great hardship in someone traveling for work and changing their voice. It's not like they're hiring someone with a completely inappropriate physical look that will involve hours in makeup every day. If the best person for the role happens to be a different nationality, far better to get them to do an accent and make the movie better, rather than hiring someone with the right natural accent but who isn't actually as good a fit. Producers and directors and casting directors don't owe it to actors of either nationality to give them work, their job is to find the best person for the film they're making.
Why the snappy response? This is why people are afraid to ask questions.
What was "snappy"? You used the word easier, I asked why. I didn't accuse you of implying anyone was owed work, I was just stating that as a fact. Slightly odd you'd reply "thank you for your comment" then later come back with your own "snappy" response, when I just answered the question you asked. No evidence anyone's afraid to ask question either - they get asked here all the time.
By "easier", I only meant that some of the preparation work might have been skipped by choosing someone who is already American or British. Also, I did not mean to imply that any actors are "owed" work. They're not. I was only curious about why actors are chosen for such roles. Thank you for your comment.
Even actors playing someone of their own nationality often have to work with a dialect coach to perfect a regional accent. An American actor who grew up on the West Coast does not speak the same as someone from New England, the Mid-West, the South, Texas, New York, etc. The same for British actors as there are many regional accents and dialects they may have to master.
Answer: Working Title Films tried for years to raise the finance to make "Bridget Jones' Diary", but nobody was interested, even with Rachel Weisz and later Kate Winslet attached as Bridget. Then one day Renée Zellweger signed on and Miramax and Universal threw money at them. This explains the many jarring Americanisms in the film, sops to the film's US financiers.
Answer: Would add to the other answers that it's typical when casting a movie there are usually multiple actors considered for a main role. Movies are a huge and risky financial investment, so for a big-budget film, it's usually a small pool of bankable A-list actors that are considered, regardless of their nationality. In the case of Bridget Jones' Diary, Helena Bonham-Carter, Cate Blanchett, Emily Watson, Rachel Weisz, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, and Toni Collette were considered. Some were already tied to other projects, Winslet was ultimately considered too young, Weisz was too pretty, and so on before producers landed on Zellweger. I also suspect some of these well-known actresses balked at playing a slightly overweight character that would have required them gaining weight for the role. Zellweger put on 20 lbs. To pay Bridget.
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Answer: You can't arrest someone simply based on what you may know or suspect they do. There needs to be actual proof. A prostitute would have to be caught in the act of soliciting or actively engaging with a customer. Also, investigating prostitution is not Mulder and Scully's purpose here, and arresting someone they need to give them information regarding another crime would be counterproductive to their investigation and scare off other potential witnesses.
raywest ★